New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
an oprRErrA IN PROFILE BY CzsxA 1omo PIP
285 Boston: Ticknor Co.

An oPERErrA IN PROFILE BY Czs'xA ION" pn
Whoever writes under the nom-de-plume OF
sCzeikan has certainly produced an uncommoniy
brilliant and witty little book. II Is as iuii Oh
eniprams AZ an egg is full OF meat Its satire
is smooth, neat, sharp and penetrating IL
abounds with quaint conceits excellently tx
pressed. It Is the work OF an Imagination seem
luey as fresh and fertile as the observation OF life
underlying It is matured and trained. playful
and refiIed humor shines throughout it, and It's
rare grave passages display an indignant elo-
ouence directed against social shams and frauds,
and an energy Of uttcrance indicating sincerity
and strong conviction.
The "Operetta in Profile" is really keen but
good -humored study Of life in "a second-ra"
suburban town." The o.cratta Is an idea pro-
posed for the benefit Of church, and the maneu'
vres, intrigues, back biting, scandal mongerng,
evolved in the preparation for 1t arc exhloited
with wonderful adroitness and lifeiikeness. AS
q sample OF the sty n we give the following sketch
Of the young man of the period:
girls fancy is generally theatrical property
room, from which she fits out the men OF her
acquaintance, the real man simply acting as an
animated clOthes-horse. But young as l am
have made the grand discovery Of lIfe-that the
average young man is SIN. y grown-up boy.
Though bis shirt-ffont is so mysterious, his
manLcr rcassuring and mpenetrabie, his smile
60 LAND he is only grOwn-up boy. More! he
is generally boy in difficulties. lie is happy
as centaur who should be unable to accommo-
date his legs TO the upholstery of a drawing
room, and HIS head and shoulders TO the economies
OF a manger, since he Is sure TO have $4,000
year IDEAS on $1,000 year OF income. lie
sympathizes with girls on the matt lmonial Ques-
ton as u trout does with the fisherman Livery
fiat or dwelling house shows him twelve or
tftcen hundred reasons against matIlmony, IN It's
rent; and he has q multiplication table ready Tor
Cupid, warranted TO take the point from his best
arrow. Ii ever the little Llind god is likely TO
prove too much for him, he has OILY to fall back
on his al ithmetic; and when the sirens sing in
place OF tying himself to tic mast he simply
ciphers out the probable cost of their music. Only
In his summer vacations he takes with his canoe
O certain amount of sentiment; and having Sc
lected tennis-court and baseball nine" looks
about him for summer girl easy -man-
nered, susceptible, available for crescendo irta
ton LIMITED TO two weeks. lie lays away her
memory with his racket and bat, or possibly
coins the affair into dolars-writes verse or two
like sigh, with a catching refrain, for Life"
some such PERIODICAL. and gets chequc for it.
All this before the summer Ariadne who took his
canoe party for voyage of life, and has packed
up all her best sentiments, and the family bless
Ing, has we'll closed the mouth that she opened In
establishment when he babe her good-ty.
And here is another capital description: that
of the lady who was relied ON TO write the
libretto of the operetta:
1t was very easy to find the writer; for there
was but orc woman in town CAPABLE Of it-a
woman much despsed by us for her cleverness,
q late fashion or invention is set at naught in
o country village. She was very subject TO new
and excellent IDEAS that we at trst ridicued and
then ado, ted, but for which we never forgavc
her; and-crownng Notwithstanding very simple
and magnanimOus am not sure, by the way,
that one of these Qualities is not o consequence
of the other) she continually assisting her
enemies and obligng her detractOrs-for which
she received her just due Of contempt. She had
not an idea of making much of her wares; one
would have supposed, from her readiness VIXEN
our committee visited her, that 1t was an every
day matter to have librettos on hand-like pies
She brought out her ideas as if they were bits OF
old lace from some perfumed box. and altered and
realtered them to suit our demands, one takes
In or let's out the body Of gown-all with such
careless ease that though her lbretto has since
been pronounced clever enough for the professional
stage, we felt not so much that she exhibited
genius frivolous cast OF mind inconsistent
with her circumstances, she woman OF
forty and Of limited income. Even In society it
Is impossible always to get on without ideas; and
II these entities prefer the company Of old coats
and shabby gowns, must take them where
they can be fOund-but with certain dsapproba-
ton, as in our case; as though our author had
stolen her manners and libretto from Mrs Pepper
ton, who on an income of twenty thousand a year
might be supposed to be in a position to set
up ideas and re0nements of feeling, and keep
item up in good style.
We shall not weaken the enjoyment awaiting
the reader by attempting to describe the story.
1t is book which must be read to be appreciated,
but which only be read with delight and
hearty approval.